Sounding board



July 29. 1924.

B. E. GRADY, JR

SOUNDING BOARD Filed Feb. 16. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A 06 2960 rn eys.

Patented July 29, 1924.

UNITED STATES BARTHOLOMEW E. GRADKCdR- OF SOMEBVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

SOUNDING BOARD.

Application filed February 16, 1923. Serial No. 619,534.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BARTHOLOMEW E. GRADY, Jr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Somerrille, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Sounding Boards, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to a new and useful improvement in sounding boards. The object of the invention is to provide a sounding board which may be readily attached to or detached from chair of ordinary construction without mutilation thereof, and which may be readily transported from one place to another and attached to any chair, as desired, or may be detached and packed away until desired for use again. a It is especially intended for use of players upon musical instruments, as for instance by an orchestra in a theatre or by players or singers upon a stage or in a dance hall, and of convenient form and size so that the individual players may be provided with their own independent sounding board. It is also adapted for use by speakers, teachers in school rooms, and other uses.

lVhile the invention is intended for use in the manner above set forth, it -may be used by public speakers or readers and may be attached to other supports than chairs, if desired, By attaching it to a chair, the sound may be thrown in any direction desired by placing the chair so as to face any direction toward which it is especially desired to throw the sound.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features thereof will be pointed out and clearly defined in the claims at the close of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a chair having attached thereto a device embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the chair and sounding board shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation.

Referring now to the drawings, the sounding board proper is represented at 1, being made preferably of fibre board cut to a suitable configuration of outline and con cave in side elevation. While the sounding side edges flaring upward therefrom. The

said lower portion 2 may also be flatter than the upper portion, said lower portion serving more particularly as a shank which extends upward some distance before the sounding board begins to curve forward so as to afford suflicient ovehead clearance space to avoid interference between the overhead curved portion and the player.

Secured to the back part of the sounding board are hooks 3 which readily hook over the top rail of the chair to support the sounding board on the chair. Preferably these hooks are attached to wire rods 4 which extend downwardly on the back side of the chair and are provided at their lower ends with means for securing the rods to the rungs of the chair to aid in holding the sounding board in place. Preferably the attaching means consists simply of cords 5 which may be tied around the rungs of the chair.

In the drawings the sounding board is shown as attached to a chair 6, by hanging the hooks over the top rail 7 of the chair, and tying the cords 5 around the rungs 8.

Preferably the wire rods 4 form a part of a wire framework 9 which extends up over the back of the sounding board and is secured thereto, both to stiflen the sounding board and to retain it in shape. As shown in the drawings the said framework and the downwardly extending rods 4 are all formed of a single wire which is bent in U-shaped form, inverted so that the base 14 of the U extends transversely of the top portion of the sounding board, and the legs extend down on opposite sides of the median line of the sounding board and terminate in the downwardly extending portions H. The hooks 3 may be secured to these rods 44: in any suitable way, preferably by welding. Said hooks are also preferably made of wire bent around and doubled upon itself to form two parallel shank portions 10, 10, the rod 4 being embraced between them and welded thereto.

The portion of the wire which forms the back stay or framework 9 may be secured to the sounding board in any suitable way, the method shown being to employ straps 11 which are fastened by rivets 13 to the sounding board.

In order to cover up the hooks which extend over the front side of the chair and to prevent them from being uncomfortable to the occupant of the chair, as well as to conceal the hooks from view, I preferably provide an apron or panel 12 which is attached to the lower part of the sounding board and extends down on the front side of the chair back. This apron or panel is preferably of cloth, but may be of other suitable material, and is shown as being attached in' rivets 13.

Preferably the front face of the sounding board will be colored in an attractive color to match the tints of the walls or finish of the room in which it is used, and the apron will also be of an ornamental character.

What I claim is:

1. A sounding board having secured to the back side thereof a stiff wire bent to U-shape with the base of the U uppermost and extending transversely of the upper portion of the sounding board, the sounding board being of greater width than the said Ushaped wire member and extending laterally some distance beyond the boundary line of said wire member, the legs of the wire member extending downward to some distance below the lower end of the sounding board, and means for detachably securing the said legs to the frame of a chair.

2. A sounding board having connected therewith means for fastening the sounding board on the top of a chair back in such manner that the sounding board is readily attachable to and detachable from the chair, and a panel having its upper end flexibly vsecured to the lower part of the front face of the sounding board, the panel being adapted to overlie the said fastening means and the front of the chair back.

3. A sounding board for attachment to the back of a chair, said sounding board being concave in a vertical direction from the top for some distance toward thebottom,

and having a straight, flat lower shank portion, said shank portion being provided with means for detachably connecting the same with a chair back, and a flexible panel secured to theshank of the sounding board which is adapted to overlie the front face of the back of the chair.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

BARTHOLOMEW E. GRADY, JR. 

